Bear, Bigfoot or Hoax?

OK, so I'll spoil everything up front: The video is (maybe?) one of a bear. But it's a bear that's acting a bit uncharacteristically, so I'd encourage you to read on.

The video embedded below went viral yesterday, and for good reason. Purportedly recorded in northern New Jersey, it features a bear casually strolling through the suburbs—exclusively on its hind legs. While it's not at all uncommon for bears to go bipedal to investigate their surroundings, etc., they don't often go on a two-legged walk, just for the heck of it. The last bear I knew to do that was named Yogi. After all, why wander around on two legs when you've got four?

The bear seen here, though, didn't appear to get that memo. And, apparently, it's not the first time the bear's been caught performing such antics. Locals told a nearby NBC affiliate that they'd seen the animal up on its hind legs on a number of other occasions.

At first blush, a lot of folks are assuming that the whole thing is a hoax. Given that the video doesn't get an up close and personal look at the bear, it'd be easy to fake. A second example though, seen here and posted by a Facebook user, seems a little more definitive.

So, what do you say? Is the video below legitimate? Experts say that if it is a bear, it could be nursing a hurt paw—hence the new posture. Check out the video and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.